Meet the most notoriously dangerous gangs in South Africa

Check out these renowned gangs on this list. South African gangs have carved out places in a nation still dealing with its dark past. For underprivileged populations, a life of crime is frequently the only alternative.

The Numbers Gang

The Numbers Gang is maybe South Africa’s most infamous criminal gang. It began in the late 1800s when two men protested against harsh working conditions in a mine.

The Numbers Gang has three categories in South African prisons: 26s, 27s, and 28s. The 26s specialize in robbery and sneaking things into prison, while the 27s are the blood component, requiring a guard or warden to be stabbed. The 28s are the top of the line and must assault another male convict to join.

Apparently, being a member of the Numbers Gang is required to successfully negotiate and survive the South African jail system.

The Americans

The Americans Gang’s integration prompted apartheid and forced segregation. This vicious group wears blue, white, and red clothing and has “USA” tattooed on their arms. Members also have large images of Uncle Sam. With great allegiance and unusual preparation for death, the group’s members engage in a wide range of illicit acts. The American is without a doubt the most active and vicious gang in Cape Town and the country.

The Sexy Boys Gang

From Chestnut Place, this ruthless Cape Town gang has expanded its power across the country. The Sexy Boys are infamous for their drug selling and crooked taxi drivers. Despite its jovial name, the organization is violent. During a police operation in Cape Town in the early 2000s, the group’s leaders were arrested. Its resurgence as a gang makes it one of the most violent in Cape Town.

The Hard Livings

The Hard Livings are Cape Town’s second largest gang behind the Americans. Rashied and Rashaad Staggie started the gang in 1971 in the Manenberg area, causing difficulties with their neighbors. A vigilante gang set fire to Rashied Staggie in 1996.

Despite Staggie’s murder, the gang continued to distribute drugs and allied with the Sicilian mafia and Chinese triads, bringing their criminal operation global.